Windscreen question

[jasonklass]

I'm just wondering how many of you sand the coating off of aluminum flashing before making a windscreen out of it to avoid burning/warping. I usually make the windscreen then bake it in the oven to prevent it from warping but I sometimes still get browning.

[MoBeach42]

I'd just take some heavy duty aluminum foil, double it over, and call it a wind screen. It seems to work just fine, is much lighter than flashing, and is easily replaceable.

[jasonklass]

I'm just wondering how many of you sand the coating off of aluminum flashing before making a windscreen out of it to avoid burning/warping. I usually make the windscreen then bake it in the oven to prevent it from warping but I sometimes still get browning.

I make those too and that's what I use most of the time; however, some people have been requesting that i make them my "belt buckle" windscreen which is made out of flashing.

[Doctari]

I have read this several times, cant figure out something. I have to ask without sounding critical: Why are your worried about the wind screen turning brown???

This gives it character!

Also: if you are doing any hiking on the AT:
Your pack will get; worn, dirty, stained, torn, etc.
Your sleeping bag / quilt will absolutly REEK!!
Everything else will turn brown, or something similar.
AND, you will most likely get: worn, stained, dirty, torn, etc. You will reek (smell bad, bad enough it makes YOUR eyes water/burn).

Just a thought. If the wind screen turning brown is still a concern for you, this can be (somewhat) reduced by coating it with some soap (Ivory works OK) before each use may somewhat help. This is a guess, Grandad used to use it on his pots before cooking over a wood fire, this burned the soap, but it (being soap) washed off easily,,,, most times anyway

BTW: My wind screen is almost totally brown, with a few black streaks & some actual clean spots. The clean spots are totally accidental. The cook pot & stove is still clean, but then both are still new, they will look great after a few more meals




Doctari.

[jasonklass]

I'm hypersentitive when it comes to aesthetics, that's why. I don't know why but it just bothers me that the windscreen is brown. In my mind it should be silver and that's it. I've actually thrown stoves away just because I mis-spaced one of the jets by a mere milimeter. It didn't affect the performance at all but it would just bother me to know that all the jets weren't perfectly spaced. Oh great...that's two things I need to get therapy for now: gear addiction AND obsessive-compulsive disorder!

[Doctari]

gear addiction AND obsessive-compulsive disorder!

Ahh, OCD!! Now I understand, really. I'm not quite Monk, but I do have enough to mostly understand how it works. I'm able to use a uneven stove, just barely & with great effort. I just wish I could pick what I obsess about

Give the soap thing a try, it may work. OR, just paint your wind screen BLACK, it should hold color better than silver. I paint my cook pots with it, SEEMS to decrease heat time. Be sure to use "gas grill" paint, it is able to stand high heat. I used engine paint once, great when cool, but gets ultra slippery when hot. ie: you will know instantly that your pot isn't level once it gets hot enough.

I think that engine paint (the slippery stuff) comes in other colors, like; white, yellow, red & blue. Maybe more. If I remember the label it will not discolor due to heat. And I have seen many car show engines that were brilliant color even after many miles of use.


Doctari.

[Patrick]

I made a windscreen out of flashing the other day and tested it about an hour before a trip. It warped considerably and turned brown. I don't care about the color, but the warping bothered me. I tried MoBeach42's idea and just folded some regular old Reynold's aluminum foil over four times. Worked like a dream and is way lighter. Also very flexible. I wish I'd been using it for years.

[jlb2012]

I have a similar problem with warping with the aluminum can sidewalls I use for my windscreens - I just use the windscreen for a few (5-10) more burns and it will anneal (soften) and be fine from then on. Discoloration doesn't bother me but it does smell a bit as I burn the plastic coating off of the can wall the first few times I use it.

[jasonklass]

I have a similar problem with warping with the aluminum can sidewalls I use for my windscreens - I just use the windscreen for a few (5-10) more burns and it will anneal (soften) and be fine from then on. Discoloration doesn't bother me but it does smell a bit as I burn the plastic coating off of the can wall the first few times I use it.

After you make the windscreen, set it to the diameter you want then bake it in your oven for 25 min. at 400 degrees. That will prevent it from warping and it makes a perfect circle. In my experience, letting the stove anneal it sometimes causes it to be uneven.

[Tinker]

Puts the "anal" in alalytical....................

[mweinstone]

foil and velveta .thats how you make a screen.foil to shield the stove and velveta on the screen so you smell it later in your house and it takes you back.mmmmmm........smelly old camping gear smell.to make velveta mix sterno and the color orange.